Crude palm oil (CPO) contains about 1% minor components which include carotenes, tocols in the form of tocopherols and tocotrienols and hydrocarbons such as squalene and phytosterols. These minor components are also present in oil that is obtained from the palm pressed fiber in a much higher concentration.
Carotenes, tocols and squalene have been known for long to exhibit antioxidant properties and they are widely used in pharmaceuticals as supplements, nutraceuticals as well as fine chemicals. Squalene, which is widely found in shark liver oil is also present in palm oil and it is a valuable constituent in cosmetics as well as food supplements. Sterols can be used as steroid derivatives in pharmaceuticals. The major sterol present in palm oil, β-sitosterol has been shown to possess hypocholesterolemic effect.
Several methods have been developed to extract these valuable minor components from vegetable oils namely, extraction by saponification which have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,460,796, 2,572,467 and 2,652,433 as well as in UK Patent No. GB 567,682, iodine method, urea process and extraction by Fuller's earth or activated carbon which have been disclosed in UK Patent Nos. 691,924 and 1,563,794 as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,484,040.
Further extraction methods which are known to artisans in the field of the invention are solvent extraction which has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,432,021, molecular distillation, solvent partitioning and adsorption which has disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,132 and UK Patent No. 2,160,874.